Kael was in the command deck of the Ark when the alarms screamed. Red sigils flooded the holo-map, each one marking a Ghost Fleet incursion point. Havenreach's defense grid flickered to life, its orbital cannons spinning into position.
Rhea's voice cut through the chaos. "Multiple warp signatures! They're dropping ships right on top of us—battleships, carriers, and something big."
Joran swore under his breath. "That bastard didn't wait long."
Kael's hands clenched around the railing. Taren's counterstrike had come fast, brutal, and perfectly timed. Havenreach wasn't just the last sanctuary of the Frontier—it was where the council sat, where families lived, where hope was rooted. If Havenreach fell, the Alliance would fracture.
Not on his watch.
Ghost Fleet cruisers burst from warp, their hulls bristling with blackened cannons. Their fire tore into Havenreach's orbital defenses, shredding outposts and silencing gun platforms in blinding flashes.
Kael barked orders. "All ships, form a shield wall around Havenreach! Keep the carriers away from the surface!"
The Ark roared into the fray, energy lances blazing. Rhea whooped as she ripped a corvette in half, its wreckage spiraling into the void. Joran kept the fleet moving in tight formation, weaving between heavy cannon fire.
But then the shadow arrived.
A massive Ghost Fleet dreadnought warped in, dwarfing every ship in the system. Its hull was jagged steel, its prow shaped like a predator's skull. At its center glowed a pulsating core of red energy.
Kael's chest tightened. "The Revenant."
The Ghost Admiral's flagship.
The Ark shook as the Revenant fired, a crimson beam carving through the shield wall like paper. Half a dozen Frontier ships exploded in an instant.
"Shields holding at sixty percent!" Rhea shouted.
"Not for long," Joran growled.
Kael's mind raced. Taren wasn't here just to crush Havenreach—this was a trap. He was forcing Kael into the open, daring him to engage the Revenant.
Lyra stepped beside him, her eyes glowing faintly as she read the enemy's movements. "He wants you to fight him. To be seen fighting him. Every action is a message, Kael."
Kael nodded grimly. "Then let's send one back."
Havenreach Under Fire
Councilor Venra's voice screamed over comms. "Ardyn! The surface is being bombarded. Civilian districts are burning! If you don't stop them, Havenreach is lost!"
Kael's blood boiled. He couldn't fight the Revenant and protect the planet at the same time.
Darius's voice, weak but sharp, echoed from behind him. "The Revenant isn't your fight, Kael. Not yet. Break their supply lines. Force them back. That's the only way Havenreach survives."
Kael turned. His father had dragged himself to the deck, leaning heavily on the railing, but his eyes were clear—more clear than they'd been since the Crucible.
"You can't win against Taren's flagship," Darius said. "Not today. Save Havenreach. Live to fight tomorrow."
Kael's chest tightened. Every instinct screamed to strike at Taren, to end this now. But Darius was right—their fleet would be slaughtered in a head-on clash.
Kael exhaled. "All ships, divert fire to the carriers. Cut off their dropships before they reach the surface!"
B
The battle shifted. Frontier ships darted between the Ghost Fleet's massive guns, targeting the carriers that loomed like floating fortresses. Explosions lit the void as one, then two carriers crumbled under the onslaught. Dropships burst apart mid-descent, raining wreckage into Havenreach's atmosphere.
But the Revenant pressed forward, carving through the defense line with relentless fire.
Kael's heart pounded. They couldn't stop it—not without sacrificing everything.
Then Lyra's voice whispered beside him. "There is another way."
Kael turned. She met his gaze, her expression fierce. "If I reach the Revenant, I can disrupt its core—just long enough for the fleet to regroup. But I'll need cover."
Kael's gut twisted. Sending her aboard the Revenant was suicide.
"No," he said sharply. "I'm not risking you."
Her eyes softened, but her voice was steady. "This isn't about risk. It's about survival. You can't win this fight without me."
Darius's voice cut in. "She's right. Strike the core, force Taren back. Otherwise, Havenreach burns."
Kael's heart tore in two.
The bridge went silent, every eye on him.
Kael looked at Lyra—the woman who had stood by him through every fire, who had pulled him back from despair, who had made him believe in something more than war. Her power could save them. Or it could take her from him forever.
He looked at his father—once unshakable, now scarred, but still sharp enough to see the truth of the battle. For the first time, Darius wasn't doubting him. He was trusting him.
Kael drew a sharp breath.
"Rhea, Joran—you take the Ark and clear Lyra a path. I'll escort her in."
Lyra's hand touched his. Her eyes glimmered, fierce and tender all at once. "Together, then."
"Together," Kael said.
Into the Revenant
The Ark ripped open a hole in the Revenant's defenses, cannons blazing. Kael and Lyra launched in the Sparrow, weaving through fire as the dreadnought's guns tried to swat them from the sky.
They smashed into a docking bay, skidding across scorched metal. Ghost Fleet soldiers poured in, but Kael carved through them, his blade flashing like lightning. Lyra unleashed waves of energy, hurling enemies aside as if they were ragdolls.
They fought their way to the core chamber. The air pulsed with heat, the walls vibrating with the energy of the massive reactor. At its center burned a sphere of crimson light, contained by black spires of alien steel.
Lyra's eyes glowed brighter. "Hold them off."
Kael turned as armored troops stormed in, their rifles spitting fire. He became a whirlwind of steel, deflecting bolts, cutting down enemies, his muscles screaming with effort.
Behind him, Lyra raised her hands. Power surged through her, arcs of blue lightning lashing out, striking the core. The reactor screamed, its glow faltering.
The Revenant shuddered. Across the battlefield, its guns flickered, its shields faltering.
But the strain tore at Lyra. Blood streaked from her nose, her body trembling under the energy coursing through her.
Kael shouted over the chaos. "That's enough! Stop!"
Her voice was raw, fierce. "Not until it breaks!"
The core cracked, a web of fractures spreading across its surface. The Revenant groaned like a wounded beast, its systems spiraling into chaos.
Kael cut down the last soldier and rushed to her side. She collapsed into his arms, her body burning with feverish heat.
The Revenant's alarms screamed. The dreadnought was crippled, but not destroyed.
Kael lifted her, his throat tight. "We're leaving. Now."
They fought their way back to the Sparrow as the Revenant convulsed around them, flames ripping through its decks. Kael piloted them out, weaving through collapsing debris and cannon fire.
As they burst into the void, the Revenant reeled. Its guns sputtered, its shields died, and the Frontier fleet swarmed, hammering it with everything they had.
The great flagship staggered, retreating into warp with a roar of crimson fire.
The Ghost Fleet had been driven back. Havenreach was saved.
But Lyra lay unconscious in Kael's arms, her breath shallow.
Back aboard the Ark, the crew cheered their victory, but Kael couldn't hear them. He sat beside Lyra's bed, holding her hand, watching the monitors flicker. She had saved Havenreach—but at a cost that might yet claim her life.
Darius stood in the doorway, silent. Then, for the first time in years, he placed a hand on Kael's shoulder.
"You chose well," he said quietly. "But victory always demands a price."
Kael looked at Lyra, his heart breaking. "Then I'll pay it. Whatever it takes."
Outside, the stars burned cold. And somewhere in the void, Taren smiled.
The game was far from over.